Solved (HELP!) Upgraded parts of my computer, now it switches off!

[zyr]

Okay, so 2 days ago I purchased:
nVidia GTX 550 Ti
AMD 4 GB RAM STICK (DDR3)
and a new case;
Aerocool RS-4

My specs prior to buying these items were:
Gigabyte P55-USB3 F9 (rev. 2.0)
nVidia GTS450
6GB Kingston DDR (4gb + 2gb)
Seagate 1500 GB 7200 rpm
Seagate 500 GB 7200 rpm

Here's what happened:
Before purchasing/installing any of the new parts I bought my computer had been fine, no problems or anything.

So when I got home with these new parts, I turned off my computer, disconnected everything and took it out of the case and installed it into the RS-4, took out a 2gb ram stick in replace with the 4gb that I bought, and then installed the graphics card.
I turned on my computer and installed everything without any problems.
But testing out my computer by playing Team Fortress 2, my computer would shut off completely OR the computer screen would freeze and my keyboard and mouse would turn off but the computer would still be running.

So I thought it could be something wrong with the graphics card, so I switched back to my GTS450 to see if the problem would persist, and it did.

I did realize that between the two computer towers that the PSU position changes from the top of the tower to the bottom, and since my computer is position under my desk on carpet that I would have to maybe slip some wood underneath the tower, so I got the Wii Fit balance board (lol) and placed it under my tower and tried out my computer, the problem is still happening.

The problem occurs even before I boot into windows, sometimes I can't even get past the P.O.S.T, my computer will start up, it will look like it's loading but I am able to tell when it has frozen because I watch my keyboard and mouse to see if the LED lights switch off which they do.
If I leave my computer resting for maybe half an hour I'm able to get into Windows for a couple of minutes before it happens again.


Thank you in advance if you have any possible solutions or ideas as to what is causing this.

 

[jc836]

How about the memory-Did you try the old sticks with the new video card? Also-PSU could be an issue.

 

[zyr]

Yeah I tried reverting all the parts that I could except the case and the problem still occurs.

I did search around the web and they did suggest that it could be a PSU issue but I switched the important parts back to what they were before and it would still happen.

I did notice the mobo was a little bit loose because the screws I used were slightly smaller so I switched all of the screws with properly fitted ones. I thought that properly mounting the mobo to the case would solve it but it still happened!

Could it be that maybe some of the pins, connections etc. were misplaced? I only really have one concern with one of the cables because I don't know where it goes.

 

[DavidE]

Some things I would try for starters:

Reseat the original RAM stick (if you already haven't)
It may have been touched with the upgrades and just needs a reseat ...

Reset the Bios
I always make sure i keep the IDE/ACHI/RAID setting the same after a reset as it was before the reset (before starting Windows).

Are you sure there are no loose screws/parts below (or on top of) the MB after the "rebuild"?

Run a memory test (memtest86).

Re:

I only really have one concern with one of the cables because I don't know where it goes.

PSU's usually have more cables than needed, so they all don't need to be connected.
Was this cable connected before your upgrade?
If so, can you post a screen print of the cable connector?

 

[zyr]

DavidW7ncus, thank you for your reply.

I will try to reset the BIOS and see what happens.


The cable I was referring to was part of the R4-S case, I didn't know where or if it needed to be connected to the motherboard, it has writing on it that says

CVV
D+
D-
GND
GND

I don't know what it does, I checked the manual but couldn't find anything on it.

 

[DavidE]

Ok,

If it's a case cable, then it wasn't connected before

If the case manual doesn't document it...i can't help.
It should not be an issue.
It might be a chassis intrusion connection, some type of sensor, ...
Maybe someone with the same case would know, or you could ask Aerocool.

I was wondering if you had a PSU cable that was connected before...and might be needed.

 

[zyr]

I have connected everything that needs power, the rest of the PSU cables are for spare HDD's.

If you need a visual I'd be more than happy to take a photo of my tower.

 

[vaidas3]

one mistake that i saw lots of beginners do when adding motherboard to case is they dont use motherboard stands and put the screws right in to the case thus shorting out motherboard.

 

[DavidE]

As long as you have all needed power connectors plugged in you should be ok.
You can post a pic if you want, but it's not needed by me.

Based on your specs, it sounds like you have a custom (diy) build.
If you overclocked, or tweaked bios, you will loose those changes with the bios reset.
But, that might help sort this out...

Don't overclock when troubleshooting

 

[zyr]

As long as you have all needed power connectors plugged in you should be ok.
You can post a pic if you want, but it's not needed by me.

Based on your specs, it sounds like you have a custom (diy) build.
If you overclocked, or tweaked bios, you will loose those changes with the bios reset.
But, that might help sort this out...

Don't overclock when troubleshooting

I'm not sure if this aids in the problem but about a week before I bought and installed the new parts I did install Lion OSX to my 500 GB HDD so my bios settings were changed to ACHI and for me to boot into Lion OR Windows I use a USB (USB-HDD) so that I'm able to switch between the two OS'.

Also I did notice that the first time I turned on my computer after putting the new parts in that as soon as I press the power, the fan (I'm not sure which fan it is) will turn on full blast for a moment (less than a second) then spin normally. Does this mean anything?

 

[zyr]

I tried resetting the BIOS and it's still happening.

The computer only appears to be turning off when I stress the graphics by playing games like CS:S, TF2 or Minecraft (with shaders mod).

But then it also occurs when trying to boot up the computer so I'm really confused!
I have no idea what or why this is happening

 

[DavidE]

I can't help with the Lion OS/HD setup question - no experience here.
An install/setup expert such as Gregrocker would be better for advice on this.

I would now check temperatures to make sure something is not overheating.
You should be able to see temps in BIOS.
Let it cool down..., power on, go to bios temp screen, and see if temps go up.

You can also get monitoring programs for temps in Windows for CPU, GPU, HD, etc...
HWMonitor is something you could try, it shows temps, voltages, and fan speeds for CPU, GPU, and HD on one screen.
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting
I use it, no issues here, and it serves my purpose...

If there is no overheating, i'd next concentrate on the PSU.
What Make, Model, and wattage is your PSU?

 

[zyr]

Well I turned on HWMonitor and here is a screen shot of what it read at start-up and 15 minutes later

On start-up:

15 minutes later:

I don't really know what the readings mean so if you could take a look and explain to me what I'm looking at that would help me a lot, thanks!

 

[Layback Bear]

In your specs you don't list your power supply.

 

[OldMX]

I'd say disasamble computer and start again, double checking everything.

 

[DavidE]

The Max core temps ~70c after 15 minutes are warm, but not near a danger point.
Was that 15 minutes of idle time, or what?
I would game for 15 minutes and keep an eye on the temps.
If they get to mid 80's it is a concern.

What i find odd is under the voltages there is no listing for +12V.
The screen print is hard for me to read, but it looks like -12V is listed, but not +12V.
I've never seen +12V missing on my systems...

It could be an issue with HWmonitor and that motherboard.
Could also be an issue with that sensor on your MB.

You could try another program to see what it shows for voltages.
I don't know what other program to suggest for this, perhaps someone else does.

 

[zyr]

In your specs you don't list your power supply.

Here is an image of what my power supply information displays.
I have no idea about watts and voltages and stuff

Is this PSU good enough for my specs or do I need a better PSU?



@DavidW7ncus
Both temperature readings were done without playing any games.
After the reading I did play Minecraft for about 10 minutes and the temperature went up to about 71*C. After that my computer shut off.
then m

 

[gregrocker]

I'm not sure if this aids in the problem but about a week before I bought and installed the new parts I did install Lion OSX to my 500 GB HDD so my bios settings were changed to ACHI and for me to boot into Lion OR Windows I use a USB (USB-HDD) so that I'm able to switch between the two OS'.

How is USB-HDD configured to Dual boot with an internal 500gb HD?

I would install only the Win7 HD set first to boot in BIOS setup until the shutdown issue is resolved.

Later you can change Win7 to AHCI so they can co-exist in the same BIOS using this method: AHCI : Enable in Windows 7 / Vista - Windows 7 Forums

Also give a look at Psu calculator - Windows 7 Forums

 

[zyr]

I'm not sure if this aids in the problem but about a week before I bought and installed the new parts I did install Lion OSX to my 500 GB HDD so my bios settings were changed to ACHI and for me to boot into Lion OR Windows I use a USB (USB-HDD) so that I'm able to switch between the two OS'.

How is USB-HDD configured to Dual boot with an internal 500gb HD?

I would install only the Win7 HD set first to boot in BIOS setup until the shutdown issue is resolved.

Later you can change Win7 to AHCI so they can co-exist in the same BIOS using this method: AHCI : Enable in Windows 7 / Vista - Windows 7 Forums

Also give a look at Psu calculator - Windows 7 Forums

I thought this was a concern so I just reset BIOS so the settings are back to default (until I can resolve this issue)
It was configured so that USB-HDD would be first boot and my 500GB would be first priority but now it's default settings (HDD 1st, CDRom 2nd) and 1500GB is first priority

I'm scared to play any games in fear it will shut off but I guess I'll go ahead and do so to check if the problem is resolved.

 

[gregrocker]

In these Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 you'll find the key logs to check for errors at the time of the shutdown, system resources which can check for solutions, how to establish a Clean Boot to eliminate any programs from interfering or freeloading, RAM and HD tests to check their conditions, and other steps to know you've checked the OS part of it out good.

But it may need more hardware expertise to resolve.